Sunday, May 8, 2011

Water For Elephants

Water for ElephantsWater for Elephants by Sara Gruen

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was just as amazing the second time as it was the first time. There were a lot of details I had forgotten, so it was like reading it new in some places. Usually I don't like stories that skip around between past and present, because this story was told sequentially between flashbacks it actually worked for me. The characters voices were very clear and well written. This book made me laugh and cry and hang on the edge of my seat. A hard book to put down and very easy to read. Definitely still one of my favorites.

Synopsis: As a young man, Jacob Jankowski was tossed by fate onto a rickety train that was home to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. It was the early part of the great Depression, and for Jacob, now ninety, the circus world he remembers was both his salvation and a living hell. A veterinary student just shy of a degree, he was put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. It was there that he met Marlena, the beautiful equestrian star married to August, the charismatic but twisted animal trainer. And he met Rosie, an untrainable elephant who was the great gray hope for this third-rate traveling show. The bond that grew among this unlikely trio was one of love and trust, and, ultimately, it was their only hope for survival.

Recommended Reading:
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
A Thousand Splendid Sons by Khaled Hosseini

Book 4 of 24 for Self-Challenge

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